The present invention relates generally to the field of golf, and more specifically to the field of facilitating improvement in putting a golf ball on a sloped golf green.
Without a doubt, many golfers have experienced the frustration of hitting promising long shots to quickly place a golf ball on a golf green before unfortunately needing to take four, five or more putts on the golf green to place the golf ball in the golf hole. A golfer's ability to putt accurately is one of the most important aspects of the sport of golfing. One reason the act of putting presents such great difficulty to so many golfers is the varying slopes of golf green playing surfaces. Golfers are notoriously unable to accurately judge the actual direction and amount of slope on a golf green between a resting golf ball and a golf hole.
In the past, efforts have been made to address this well-known problem. Devices have been provided for assisting golfers in estimating the general direction and amount of slope toward a golf hole. Such devices have included variously-constructed levels positioned in handheld devices, in putters themselves, and even in eyeglass frames. Many of these prior devices are patented and described or referenced in U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,791.
While each of those devices address the issue of varying slopes on a golf green, none of them provide a simple, inexpensive, accurate and effective method of addressing the above issue and many of the related problems. For example, many of the devices are prone to inaccuracy since they are designed to be operated while being held in a golfer's relatively-positioned and unstable hand. In addition, many of the prior devices include bubble levels which are, to some, inherently "backwards", in that the bubble position indicates the opposite direction in which the ground slopes. Moreover, the recommended methods of utilizing many of the prior devices are particularly cumbersome multi-step methods which are difficult to convey and understand.
The present invention is directed toward the need for an apparatus and methods for addressing these and other related, and unrelated, problems.